Probably the first thing one notices about Okabu is it’s artstyle (similar to games like Wind Waker). It’s colorful and generally cute style seems generally well-received, but there may be those who are turned off by it. Though the story is also quite simplistic (you play as a pair of Cloud Whales who are trying to battle pollution to save their homeland and then join forces with humanoids who are also at war with the polluters), I wouldn’t write this off as “just a kid’s game.” Don’t get me wrong, it’s probably a great game for kids, or for parents to play with their kid (though do note that it’s largely a puzzle game), but it would also be a good game to play with a friend or partner who only plays games casually, or a relaxing, casual game for more serious gamers. Okabu doesn’t try to appeal to one audience, and I’m a fan of that.
There are four different environments (or “worlds”) that players progress through during the game. You start at Lake Waka, then move on to Karibu Valley, Noko Woods, and end at the Doza Fortress. Within each world there are several individual levels which take, on average, about 15-25 minutes to complete apiece. This makes for a pretty long game, so you’re certainly getting your money’s worth contentwise. Each level require players to complete a list of objectives (e.g. destroy all the enemy dozabots in the village, put out all the fires, de-pollute the area, etc.). Aside from grabbing collectibles or going for scores (e.g. killing all the dozabots in the level), there aren’t really any side-quests or anything of the sort. The game is very linear, which didn’t bother me, but may bother some.
As for the gameplay itself, players control one of two Cloud Whales. The Cloud Whales have their own small set of abilities (e.g. picking up liquids and raining them down on the ground or enemies), but often they mostly serve as mounts for the Yoruba (the humanoid race) heroes. There are four heroes total in the game, each with their own signature ability. For example, Monkfish has a handy plunger that can open things, flip switches, and allow him to operate certain devices marked with his signature target sign. Picolo, on the otherhand, can play a haunting tune to lead along animals or people to do his bidding (I know, creepy, right?).
Each level specifies which heroes are available for the Cloud Whales to bring along, and the levels are laid out accordingly to match the heroes’ abilities. Players are required to figure out how to synergize their heroes abilities in order to progress and beat the level. Sometimes it’s very straightforward with the objectives leading you step-by-step, with huge rainbow arrows pointing at the items you need to interact with. Other times you’re just left with the objective to get through a certain gate where you’ll have to perform a long chain of actions in order to do it. Okabu does a good job with introducing new tools at a slow but steady pace, keeping things fresh. So, for example, you’re not just stuck with solely pulling down bridges and levers on Monkfish the entire game.
Overall, Okabu handles co-op well (though players are confined to a 2-player, local co-op experience). Players can drop in or out with ease, letting the other player continue playing with control of both Cloud Whales (hitting the triangle button allows you to switch between the whales in single-player). Okabu is certainly more fun as a co-op experience, and while it does suffer some of the common shared screen problems (e.g. getting stuck in little corners until your partner comes back so you can properly backtrack), they don't end up being too much of an issue (I'm looking at you, Dungeon Siege 3).
Like all games, though, Okabu does have its share of glitches and annoyances. Once while I was playing the game froze, requiring a restart of my PS3. Fortunately, it was very near to the beginning of the level, so I'd barely lost any progress. This would have been a severe annoyance, however, if I'd be further into the level since there's no checkpointing system within levels (annoying in and of itself). A couple of times my co-op buddy or I got stuck in little problem areas of the map, but again we fortunately didn't get perma-stuck, which would've required a restart of the level. These types of problems were certainly not severe enough to be game-breaking, but they're something to watch out for.
In general, Okabu is a fun, “puzzle-lite” game that can be played by a wide variety of players. It has a unique art style, a high amount of content for a downloadable title, and even a PSN platinum trophy for those of you who are into such things. It won't keep you on the edge of your seat, but it's a nice little game to play a level or two for laid-back gaming session.